Christmas Book Review Archives - Page 2 of 2

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: Mrs. Morris and the Ghost of Christmas Past by Traci Wilton

Posted on October 3, 2020September 30, 2020 by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Kensington in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Charlene and her parents are dining at Bella’s Italian Ristorante for an auction fundraiser for the Felicity House for Children. The event is hosted by the restaurant’s manager, and Charlene’s friend, David Baldwin. David recently won the lottery, and there’s lots of talk about his winnings. He even passes out some checks to people at the event – to his business partner, a graduate of the Felicity House program, and to the Felicity House staff (although it’s a much smaller check than what he’s promised to deliver later). His own son gets an IOU as well.

Then, before the night is over, David goes running out of the restaurant mumbling names no one recognizes. And then he’s struck, but no one saw the vehicle that hit him. Now David is dead, his second wife has closed the bank account so no one can cash David’s checks, and she’s ready to leave town with all of his money.

Charlene is determined to do what she can to help Felicity House. David’s promised money was going to go to an addition onto one of their facilities; they are outgrowing what they already have. Now, they don’t even have money for Christmas, so Charlene’s going to help find some. And Charlene’s ghostly friend, Jack, is ready to offer his insights as she works on who killed David.

Review

This is the third book in the Salem B&B Mystery series, but the first I have read. I like Charlene and her B&B. I loved the Felicity House pieces – the agency’s mission, the fundraiser, Charlene’s support of them, and the connection Charlene makes with one of the teens. That piece is probably my favorite from the book.

The ghost piece was interesting. It was like reading a book with a love triangle, but one leg of it is implausible. I liked how Jack tweaked Charlene’s mom and the cat, but otherwise the character didn’t grab me. Maybe I would have liked him more if I started the series from the beginning.

The mystery here was good. Lots of suspects to consider. I was able to puzzle out the killer before Charlene, but I was guessing for a long while.

Charlene’s mom made this hard to enjoy at times. She had some lovely moments, but not enough to completely offset her awful ones. She has a prickly, abrasive way about her, both with those she’s close to and also with total strangers. She’s a lot to take.

Series fans should check out Charlene’s latest adventure set at Christmas (with a few references to Wicca and the solstice). I think new readers can pick the series up here without issue.

Rating: ♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥=Good/fine/sold

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: The Twelve Dates of Christmas by Jenny Bayliss

Posted on October 3, 2020October 3, 2020 by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. This book will release on October 13, 2020.]

Summary

After a dating dry spell, Kate Turner lets her best friend, Laura, talk her into signing up for the Twelve Dates of Christmas. It’s an event run by the Lightning Strikes dating site. The site plans the dates with 12 matches, and all of the food and drinks are included in the cost. It’s a great way for Kate to meet 12 men, and enjoy some out-of-the-ordinary activities during the holiday season.

Living in a small town means everyone knows Kate’s business. They all know she signed up, and the gossips are staying busy keeping everyone up to speed on every dating disaster. Every time her other best friend, Matt, calls it the Twelve Shags of Christmas, she wants to forget the whole thing. It’s a good thing Kate is such a good sport.

Over time, it becomes clear that there might be a relationship from Kate’s past that is getting in the way of her moving forward with a new relationship. When everything falls apart, she will have to decide if she’s going to fight for the life she has built or if she’s willing to leave it all behind to avoid more pain.

Review

The set up for this – with the twelve blind dates – reminded me of 10 Blind Dates, a YA book I loved last year. This isn’t a comedy like that one is, but the set up works well in both books. It allows the author to introduce a bunch of quirky characters and scenarios for the protagonist.

I liked Kate a lot. She’s confident and knows who she is. She doesn’t put up with any garbage from the dates. And she has an amazing sounding job. I loved how her family and friends support her.

The dates – both the men and the activities – were fun to read. Kate meets interesting people. The activities were varied and fit Kate’s personality – a snowy hike, salsa dancing, a cooking class, etc. And even when the events end in disaster, I always liked Kate as she dealt with the surprises and the disappointments.

I figured out where things were going by about page 10, but I enjoyed the journey to get there. There’s a lot of great food described here (the final copy of the book will have recipes), and tons of holiday elements to help readers get into the Christmas mood. Don’t miss this fun Christmas romance. (Language, off-page sex, LGBTQ+)

Rating: ♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥½=Good+

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: Mrs. Claus and the Santaland Slayings by Liz Ireland

Posted on October 3, 2020July 18, 2022 by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Kensington in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

April Claus is newly married to the big man himself. Nick inherited the job when his older brother died. Some day, Christopher, Chris’ son, will take over the job, but for now, Nick is holding down the holiday fort.

Less than 10 days before Christmas, Nick and the elves have plenty to do. But when an angry elf is found dead, everything is in an uproar.

Giblet had been angry about his second place finish in the ice sculpture contest. As he stormed off, he accused Nick of being a murderer. Now that Giblet is dead, his family thinks Santa killed him. Rumors are swirling around the North Pole.

As things start to look worse and worse for Nick, April feels like she has to look into things for herself. She has to find the evidence to clear her new husband’s name before Christmas is ruined for everyone.

Review

This was a delight from the very first page! The world-building for this North Pole mystery was excellent. The author had her work cut out for her. She had to craft and convey the Christmas setting while also building a mystery. And she does an fantastic job with both! (This reminds me of the Wishcraft Mysteries with the cozy mystery and the fantasy setting.)

I loved April. The whole Claus family is fascinating, really. I wanted more from April and Nick. For newlyweds, there was no chemistry between them. To be honest, though, they hardly had any scenes together thanks to the mystery and the Christmas rush. It works out well to make April wrestle with the rumors and her questions about Nick on her own, amping up the tension of the book.

The mystery was terrific. The culprit was on my radar, but not my only suspect. I needed April to put all the pieces together to be certain. I loved watching the whole thing come together.

The author has set this series up to be able to set stories both at the North Pole and in Oregon at April’s home. I can’t wait to see how the stories develop in these two distinct places, and where the overlaps come into play.

Cozy lovers and Christmas book fans should not miss this one. It was fantastic! A keeper for sure.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥♥½=Loved it! Would read again.

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: The Gift of the Magpie by Donna Andrews

Posted on October 3, 2020October 3, 2020 by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Minotaur Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. This book will release on October 20, 2020.]

Summary

As Christmas draws near, Meg has her hands full coordinating the Helping Hands for the Holidays ministry for the Ladies Interfaith Council. Her volunteers are pitching in all over town, doing household repairs, yard work, and other projects for folks in need.

Meg’s biggest project is for Harvey Dunlop, also know as Harvey the Hoarder. The town helped Harvey with his yard a few years back. The house is in even worse shape. Harvey’s cousins and neighbors have threatened to call in Adult Protective Services. And the town building inspector is about to declare the house a danger zone. Harvey knows if any of those people come in, they’ll simply throw his things away. Meg makes him a better offer, and Harvey takes it.

But all of the work the volunteers do comes to nothing when Harvey is injured and killed. When all the evidence points to murder, Meg is determined to find out who cut Harvey’s life short, just when he was getting the help he needed.

Review

There’s a TON going on in this book, and the mystery is just one part of it. In some ways it felt like a smaller piece of the story than it should be. But at the same time, what’s there – especially at the end – is highly satisfying.

The Caerphilly community – and Meg’s family – are a delight in this Christmas novel. There are the holiday events and gift-giving pieces that are fun when you have a large cast in an ongoing series like this one. While Meg’s husband still performs his one-man A Christmas Carol, it’s only a small piece of the larger story. The magpies are a fun but small sliver in the larger picture, too.

The service projects are a significant layer of the holiday activity. Harvey’s project is a big part of that aspect of the book. Even as the chief investigates and Harvey’s relatives squabble over wills and inheritance, Meg and her team are securing and sorting Harvey’s things, hoping to find clues. The case is a steady presence in the story. Meg doesn’t do a ton of interviewing or questioning suspects. But her examination of Harvey’s things draws plenty of attention, allowing her to help the chief get to the truth.

I think series fans will enjoy spending time with Meg and her friends and family during the holidays. Other readers may come for the Christmas story and enjoy a mystery on the side. There’s lots of fascinating stuff here about the history of the town during the Depression. And the reaction of Meg’s twins to Harvey’s hoarding was one of my favorite aspects of the book. Newcomers might struggle to track all of the events and characters in this one and might start with an earlier book before tackling this one.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ – Great! Might re-read

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: Christmas Book Reviews

Posted on October 3, 2020October 3, 2020 by Jaymie

I usually do a post in October about the Children’s Literature Festival in my area. But due to Covid concerns, it is not happening this year. Instead, I will be posting full reviews – all day – of some of the Christmas books releasing this fall.

I was fortunate to be granted access to several Christmas ARCs this year – far too many to fit into my Wednesday reviews of books for adults alongside the other ARCs I received. So instead of posting them on Wednesdays, you will get to read them all here today.

If you want to pop in periodically, the new posts will arrive every half hour, starting at 11:30 this morning, through 4pm this afternoon. Of course, you can always just come back after 4:00 and read them all.

Here are the books I’ll be reviewing, in order: